Rail-clamp.



RAIL CLAMP.

APPLIUATION FILED 001220. 190s.

aents Aug, S 1309.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEioE.

GEORGE G. FLOYD, OF GRANITE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN STEEL FOUNDRIES,

. OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

RAIL-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3, i909.

Application led October 20, 1908. Serial No. 58,639.

To all whom tt may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE G. FLOYD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Granite, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Rail-Clamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates. to railroad rail clamps in general, and more particularly to devices of this character composed of a pair of parts or sections adapted to grip or clamp opposite edges of the rail base or flange.

In the preferred embodimentl of this invention each part or section of the clamp is equipped with a gripping portion or hook, and has an `ear or lateral extension overlapping a portion of the companion part. or section, the sections of the clamp being held in rail-gripping or operative position by means of spikes or equivalent devices driven through registering apertures or holes in the overlapped parts mto the cross-tie or sleeper. By making one of the apertures in each part elongated, the clamp may be used on rails varying in width without destroying or diminishing the elfectiveness or ellicienc of the grip secured on the rail base.

Ot er featuresfof novelty and improvement Willbecome apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description of a desirable embodiment of the invention, which should be read in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification and wherein like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the various Views.

On the drawings,-Figure 1 is a perspective View of the pair of parts or sections of a rail-clamp forming a preferred embodiment of vth1s invention; Fig. 2 is an edge view of the assembled sections showing the same in rail-gripping position, the rail itself being illustrated 1n section and a part of the sleeper or cross-tie being shown; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 2, the rail being longitudinally sectioned along its web and the cross-tie being omitted; Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of 'Fig'. 3, the portion of the rail being indicated in dotted lines; and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, a fragment of the cross-tie or sleeper being'indicated.

Since the two parts of the rail-clamp are duplicates, a detailed description of one will of course be suilicient for a full understanding of the constructions of both. Each section has an elongated fiat base 10 supplied near one end with a round aperture or hole 11 extended therethrough, the opposite end of the piece being provided with a slightly elevated laterally-extended ear or lug 12 having an elongated aperture or slot 13 eX- tended therethrough, the construction being such that the slotted ear of each section will thereto and rising some distance above the top face of the base 10. In addition, each section of the clamp is supplied with another rib 1G on its top face adapted in the operative position of the section to lie beneath and be disposed longitudinally of the web 17 of the rail 1S, it being understood that the base of the rail rests directly on the top flat faces of the two ribs 15 and 16 of each clamp section. As is clearly illustrated, the longer rib 15 extends from beneath the hook or gripping portion 14 to the car 1Q, being somewhat reduced in height as it approaches the latter part of the clamp section. As is apparent from the illustration on the drawings, the proximate edges of the two clamp sections are disposed somewhat inclined to the ribs 15 and 1G so that the clamp, when the two sections are assef-iblod as shown in Fig. 3, is divided diagonally, a slight space or clearance between thc two edges 19 being usually present and permitting the clamp to be applied to and 'effectively grip the bases of rails of different widths or thickness.

The divided clamp is applied to the rail in substantially the following manner: The rail having been placed in position upon the cross-tie or sleeper, the two halves or sections of the clamp shown in the drawing and described above are slipped under the iiange or base of the rail from opposite directions so that their respective hooks enlos" gage portions of the rail base on opposite justed so that the slot or elongated aperture 13 in each lateral ear is above and registers or matches with. the smaller hole l1 in the half or section below, this arrangein ent of the parts being clearly shown in Fig. 3. The hooks 14 are then struck horithe clamp' but does not bin the u per. section of the clamp from moving, alt ough it does eiiectively prevent longitudinal movement ofie under sectionl and backing oi or loosening of the gripping hook. This spike is desirably driven at an inclination to the vertical 'and braces the adjacent hookl in its gripping position. The other spike is then inserted in the registering hole and slot at the other end of the clamp after the opposite hook 14 is again sledged to make sure that there has been no loosening of the" same from the rail base, the spike being then driven home, after which the first inserted spike is also driven fully into place.

As is apparent, the. slots in the superposed portions or lateral ears of the sections of the clamp allow an adjustment of the hooks transversely to the rail to accommodate rail 'bases of' diiierent thicknesses and widths without destroying the matching or registering positions of the slots with the smaller lio es vin the lower portions ofthe clamp. It may be noted that the space between the two edges 19 of the clamp sections will depend upon the dimensions of the particular rail base with which the divided clamp is coperating. The top surfaces of the ribs 15 dis-- posed transversely to the rail act as effective supports for the latter, being assisted bythe ribs 16 which when in position are directly beneath the web 17 of the rail, thereb se curing a strong supfport for the rail with a minimum amount o metal in and weight of the parts of the clamp.

Whereas in this specification a full and complete description has been given of the minor features of construction ofthis improved clamp, it is not to be understood vthat the invention -is limited strictly to the form of clamp'shown because 'its structural features ma be chan ed within wide limits Without `eparture rom the heart and substance of the invention.

Iy claim: I

1. A rail-clamp having a base adapted to rest on a cross-tima gripping portion to engage the rail-base, and-a'rib on the upper surface of said base intended to be disposed longitudinally of and beneath the web of the rail, the base of the rail being intendedl to -rest on said rib, substantiallyas described.

2. A rail-clamp having a base adapted to rest on a cross-tie, a grlpping portion to engage therail-base, a rib on the uppersnrface of said base adapted to'b'e disposed transversely to said rail, -and a second 'rib on the uppersnrfaee of said baseiintended to be disposed longitudinally of and beneaththe web ofthe rai the baseot the rail being .intend ed to rest on both of 'said ribs, substantially as described.- l

3. A rail-clamp consisting of a pair of sec'- tions adapted to rest on a cross-tie beneath.

the Tail, each section having means to gri the rail and a hole therethrou h at one ven each section also having an elgongated aperture throughan ear at -its opposite end, the

soA

holes and apertures registering rwhen the secf tions lare properl positioned, whereby securing means may e driven therethreu h mto the cross-tie, substantiallyas describe .y

4. A rail-clamp consisting of a pair of tions adapted to rest on a cross-tie beneath the rail, each section having a hook to grip the rai1base and also having a hole ltherethrou h at one'end, each section having in vaddition a slotted lateral ear at its opposlte end, said holes and slotsregistering when the sections are in operative position, whereby securing means may be driven therethrough into the cross-tie, substantiallyas,

driven therethrough into tA e cross-tie eachA section also having a rib on its top face positioned so as to lie beneath and ongitudinally 'of the Web of therail when the sections are in railripping position, substantially as describe.

6. A rail-clamp consisting of a'pa'ir of sections adapted to rest on a cross-tie beneath the rail, each section having a hole therethrough at one end, means to grip the rallbase, and a slotted laterally-projectingear at its opposite end, said holes and slots registering when the sections are in operative position, whereby securing means may be driven therethrough into the cross-tie, each section alsov having on its top face a pair of ribs one of which is disposed transversely to and the other disposed lon itudinally of and beneath the web of the rai when the sections are in rail-gripping position, substantially as described.

GEORGE G. FLOYD.

Witnesses:

FREDERICK C. GOODWIN, lVArJrx-:n M. FULLER. 

